Mozambique: Heavy trucks can now cross the Xai-Xai bridge

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Mozambique: Heavy trucks can now cross the Xai-Xai bridge

1:02 CAT | 08 Apr 2021

Photo: O País

The bridge over the Limpopo River in Xai-Xai, Gaza province, is now fully reopened to road traffic, including the trucks of 3.5 tons and above which had been banned since 24 March.

The trucks were banned two weeks ago during the application of new surfacing on the bridge’s metal deck. Initially planned to last fifteen days, the work was concluded in fourteen, which allowed the reopening to take place this Tuesday and not Wednesday as had been planned.

Freight traffic during that time took a detour to Chongoene via the Chissano administrative post, a journey of about 90 kilometres, 40 kilometres more than using the bridge to Chongoene on National Road Number One (EN1).

“It was a difficult two weeks,” says Lopes Langa, who has been traveling the national roads for 27 years. “We had some difficulties, but, after all, we had to follow instructions. It’s good that the traffic has reopened for the trucks. It will shorten the distance and avoid losses, including from fatigue,” Langa said from the cab of a 22-wheeled truck carrying cargo bound for the centre of the country.

Director-general of the National Road Administration (ANE), Américo Dimande, was this Tuesday monitoring and evaluating the rehabilitation works in the company of the contractor, inspectors and technicians, and concluded that the conditions were present for the reopening of the Xai-Xai bridge.

“Today, the 6th of April, we arrived at the conclusion that the works were concluded satisfactorily, and that the necessary conditions are in place for the Xai-Xai bridge over the Limpopo River to be fully reopened to traffic,” he declared.

Dimande noted that an inspection programme stretching from Rovuma to Maputo aimed to rehabilitate 200 bridges. As of now, 100 have already been mapped, and 35 of those will be rehabilitated this year.

“The government has allocated about 200 million meticais for the National Road Administration to intervene regarding these infrastructures in order to improve their performance and prolong the useful life of these structures,” he explained.

The rehabilitation works of the Xai-Xai bridge, undertaken by Portuguese contractor Soares da Costa, are estimated to have cost around 272 million meticais. The work will end later this month, after having been extended due to constraints arising from the rehabilitation process itself.

By Amandio Borges

Source: O País